SAN stands for “Storage Area Network” and connects different storage media via a high-performance network and provides flexible storage space for individual or multiple servers.
Compared to Direct Attached Storage (DAS), SAN allows dynamic management and works on a block basis. It ensures high-speed transfers over considerable distances and uses the Fibre Channel standard. Structurally similar to a Local Area Network (LAN), a SAN decouples servers from mass storage, enables redundant connections and serves as a secondary network parallel to the server-client LAN. As an extension of DAS, it connects several servers to various storage systems, even over long distances. The communication infrastructure includes switches and directors.
SANs offer improved application availability, simpler administration and the transfer of data between locations. Other advantages include high availability thanks to redundant connections, centralized resource management, scalability and high transfer rates.
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